Regardless of whether it's a personal vehicle, a borrowed vehicle, or even a rental car – when you get behind the wheel, it's solely the driver's responsibility to ensure that it complies with all roadworthy requirements.
That means checking the usual things – all lights work, the tyres have a legal amount of tread, the car is registered, and there are no oil leaks. However, there's one additional thing that's becoming an increasingly common fixture on vehicles.
If you drive an electric, hybrid, LPG, or hydrogen vehicle, you must have the correct EV or LPG tag on the outside of your vehicle to notify of its power source.
If you're particularly eagle-eyed, you would've noticed that little red badge on the licence plate of LPG-powered vehicles when they were most popular in the mid-2000s, as well as a bunch of little blue triangles that have recently appeared on hybrid and electric vehicles.
Not having this attached to your vehicle leaves you susceptible to a fine and a defect notice.
As it sits at the moment, LPG vehicles in New South Wales do have a specific fine of $227 for "defective LPG/CNG equipment/labelling", but hybrid, electric and hydrogen vehicles could face any number of defect fines ranging from $136 for a broad fine, all the way up to $950 for "vehicle not comply".
Similar fine amounts are applied to vehicles in states across Australia, with the penalty amount solely depending on the attending police officer.
Furthermore, you may also be subject to a vehicle roadworthy inspection, in addition to the fine, to clear the defect notice from your registration.
This issue has become more common as electric and hybrid vehicles are gaining increasing popularity, but with the EV tags being affixed mostly by the owners, incorrect fitment can cause them to be dislodged.
Drive recommends riveting the metal tag in place, as double-sided tape or glue can often soften over time and lose its stickiness, as we reported in an earlier story about a Tesla owner being sabotaged by a loose EV badge.
Why do cars need an 'EV' tag?
The reason the EV and LPG tags are so stringently required is to aid emergency services workers in determining the best course of action in the event of a fire or accident.
When it comes to electric and hybrid vehicles, fire services will need to act differently around the car. The vehicle may be live with electricity in the event of an accident, making it dangerous to touch in the case of electrocution.
The same applies if the vehicle catches fire. The blaze needs to be tackled differently compared to internal combustion vehicles, cooling the batteries down instead of extinguishing the blaze by suffocating it.
The same goes for LPG vehicles. In the event of an accident, a gas leak can release an invisible combustible gas into the air, as well as a high potential for explosion in the event of a fire over petrol or diesel vehicles.
Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.
